Spool holder and locking device.



H. GOLDBERGER. SPOOL HOLDER AND LOOKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18,1913.

Patented June 16, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WEE;

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN co H. GOLDBERGER.

SPOOL HOLDER AND LOCKING DBVIGE.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 18,1913.

Patented June 16, 1914,

3 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

HENRY GQLDBER ER BY% 2;,

COLUMIIA PLANOGRAPH C0 WASHINGTON. D. C

H. GOLDBERGER. SPOOL HOLDER AND LOOKING DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 18,1913.

1,100,477, Patented June 16, 1914. 4

3 SEEETSSHEET 3.

HENRY GOLDBERG/ER mfg COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY GOLDBERG-ER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPOOL HOLDER AND LOCKING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GOLDBERGER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spool Holders andLocking Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel device for locking spools of thread onsewing machines in such a way as to prevent the removal of the spoolsuntil the thread has been almost or entirely unwound therefrom andthereby prevent unauthorized removal of the spools with a portion of thethread thereon.

The object of the invention is to provide a spool holder and lockingdevice therefor so arranged that after the spool has been mounted on thedevice it cannot, except by an authorized person having a key or likereleasing device, be removed until the thread is completely unwound fromthe spool.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spool holder of thischaracter which may be used to support and lock a plurality of spoolshaving different colors of thread so that thread of one color may bereadily substituted for thread of another color.

I have shown in the drawings one approved form of my novel spool holderand locking device which is hereinafter described more or less indetail, but it will be understood that the invention, in its broaderaspects, is not limited to the details illustrated and described, exceptas such details are made the subject of specific claims, and as imposedby the prior art.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sewing machine head,showing my spool holding andloeking device in place thereon. Fig. 2 is apartial plan and partial sectional view, showing one of the lockingunits of the device. Figs. 3 and 4. are sections on the lines 83 and44:, respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line55 of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 8 is a section on theline 8--8 of Fig. 5, with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1913.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Serial No. 790,449.

parts shown in elevation. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, with theparts thereof in position to release an empty spool.

I have shown the device as adapted to receive and lock in position twospools of thread, but, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, a unitarydevice may embody four, or even six, units. Inasmuch as the units areidentical, in the following description but a single unit need bereferred to when describing the details.

The embodiment of the device herein shown comprises a frame whichembraces a bed plate 10 adapted to rest on the sewing machine head, anda central post 11 which supports a casing 12 that incloses the principalparts of the locking mechanism, said casing comprising a bottom member18, shown as made integral with the post 11, and a cover member 1 1which may be made of sheet metal and which is adapted to fit down overthe bottom member to complete the casing.

The upper end of the post 11 is reduced at 16 to extend through thecover 14L and the central part of the cover is clamped by means of a nut18 down upon a shoulder 17 formed on'the post. The said nutis hereinshown as made of sheet metal and is provided with spanner notches 19 forengagement with a suitable spanner wrench. The post 11 is hollow and itreceives at its lower end an attaching stud 21, the lower screwthreadedend 22 of which is adapted to be screw-threaded into the head 23 of themachine to holdthe device in place thereon. The said stud 21 is providedabove said screw-threaded extension with a flange 25 which bears uponthe head and said flange fits within a downwardly opening recess in themounting or bed plate 10. The post is held from endwise displacementrelatively to the stud by means of a screw 26 extending through the postto cooperate with an annular groove 27 of the stud.

The post 11 is locked from turning on the stud 21 by means of a lockingbolt 30 which extends downwardly through the hollow post and isscrew-threaded at its lower end to an axial screw-threaded socket in thestud. The said bolt is .provided at its upper end with a rigidly securedhead 31, formed with an annular flange 32 which, when the bolt istightened, bears against the flange of the clamping nut 18 to lock thepost rigid wit-h the supporting stud, the post being thus confinedbetween the head 31 and the flange 25. When the bolt 30 is released thepost, casing and bed plate carried thereby may be rotated in the mannerof a turret to present either one of the spools 34 to the needle, afterwhich the bolt is tightened to lock the parts in place. The said spoolsare herein shown as held or confined in place by means of shortupstanding lugs 36 on the bedplate 10 which enter the lower ends of thebores of the spools and coiiperating plungers 37 having reducedextensions 38 that enter the upper ends of the spool bores. The saidplungers 37 are axially movable away from the spools to permit a spoolto be released from the holder, as shown in Fig. 9, and are locked intheir normal spool holding positions by mechanism located principallywithin the casing 12, and hereinafter described. Each plunger 37 slidesthrough an opening 39 in the bottom wall 13 of the casing and the upperreduced end of the plunger is slidable through an alined opening in thecover plate 14 and an opening in the horizontal portion 45 of thebracket 42 by which the casing cover is attached to the casing bottom.Each plunger is provided at its extreme upper end, above the cover 14,with a thumb nut 40 which is screw-threaded or otherwise detachablyfixed to the plunger. The thumb nuts are adapted to be removed from theplungers preparatory to removing the casing cover.

48 designates a plate which is fixedly attached in any suitable mannerto the plunger 37 within the casing 12. Said plate is provided with adownwardly off set, laterally extending projection 50 which is adaptedto normally lie beneath one arm 51 of a locking pawl 52 that is pivotedas by means of a screw 53 to the casing bottom to swing hori- Zontally.In order to hold the said plate ,48 in fixed position relatively to theplunger 37, when said plunger moves endwise, said plate is provided witha guide extension 55 having an opening therein to receive a fixedvertical guide pin 56 which extends between the upper horizontal arm 45of the bracket 42 and the casing bottom. The said pawl 52 is normallyheld with its locking arm 51 over the projection 50 of the plunger bymeans of a contractile spring 58 which is attached at one end to oneside of the pawl and at its other end to a lug 59 which rises from thecasing bottom and which also constitutes a stop to limit the swingingmovement of the pawl under the action of the said spring.

65 designates a spiral expansion spring that surrounds the plunger 37between the casing bottom and the said plate 48 and said spring tends tourge the plunger 37 upwardly so as to free the lower end thereof fromthe spool. This tendency of the spring is, however, opposed byengagement of the projection 50 of the plunger with the locking arm 51of the pawl 52, so long as the said arm 51 lies O\ er the saidprojection 50. The said pawl 52 is adapted to be swun on its pivot torelease its locking arm from the plunger projection and to therebypermit the plunger to rise to free the spool by means made as follows:The pawl is provided on its side remote from the locking arm .31 with anactuating arm which lies in the path of a lug 71 carried by a rockingdish 72. Said disk is mounted on a sleeve or bushing 73 which is carriedby a pin 74- that is attached to a bracket 7 5 which is fixed to andextends upwardly "from the casing bot.- tom 13. The said pin isscrew-threiuled and extends through an opening in the bracket and isclamped thereon by a. nut 76 which draws a shoulder on the pin againstthe bracket. The sleeve 73 is conlined between the bracket and the head77 of the pin and is free to rock on the pin.

78 designates a tripping lever, one end of: which extends upwardlythrough an opening in the casing bottom and is provided with anapertured enlarged head 79 which is fitted over the sleeve 73 betweenthe disk 72 and a flange S0 at the adjacent end of the sleeve. The partsthus associated on the sleeve or bushing 7 8 are held fixedly thereon bymeans of a clamping nut 81, which is screw-threaded to the outer end ofthe sleeve. ried thereby may be removed as a unit by removing the pin74, and the arrangement provides for an elongated bearing between therocking unit and the supporting pin which maintains the parts accuratelyin alinement.

The tripping lever extends downwardly from the casing alongside of thespool, as shown in Figs. 7. 8 and S). and is adapted to be swung at itsfree end toward and from the spool. The free end of the tripping leveris normally held away from the spool by means of av contractile springwhich is attached at one end to a lug St on the head of the lever and atits other end to the casing bottom 13, as most clearly shown in Figs. 8and f), The said lever is curved between its ends so that the free endthereof may engage the core of the spool,

when the thread is unwound therefrom,

without engagement of the intermediate part of the lever and the endflange or head of the spool, as most clearly shown in Fig. 9.

The parts of the locking mechanism and the lock release, mechanism areso related to each other that the movement of the tripping lever 78,acting through the rocking disk 72 and the lug 71 and the actuating arm70 of the locking pawl 52, does not release the pawl from the plungerprojec- Thus the sleeve and the parts cartion 50 until the free end ofthe tripping lever has swung inwardly far enough to contact with thecore of the spool. Therefore, when the spool is filled or partiallyfilled, with thread the movement of the tripping lever is insufficientto release the spool locking device. However, when all or practicallyall of the thread is unwound from the spool the tripping lever may thenbe moved inwardly a suflicient distance to swing the locking arm 51 ofthe pawl 52 entirely away from the projection 50 of the locking plungerand thereby allow the said plunger to be raised upwardly by the actionof its spring 65 to release the lower end of the plunger from the spool,as shown in Fig. 9, whereupon the spool may be re moved from theholder.

In order to avoid the pawl from swinging backwardly to its normal orlooking posi tion when the plunger is raised, which would preventsubsequent movement of the locking plunger to its locking position, thelocking arm 50 of the pawl is herein shown as provided at its free endwith a stop 90, shown as formed by turning the end of said stop armupwardly. The said stop 90 is made of a length greater than the verticalmovement of the plunger so as to be engaged by the plunger projection atthe limit of the upward movement of the plunger, and the spring 58 holdsthe stop against the plunger projection until the plunger is againdepressed, whereupon said spring restores the pawl to its lockingposition over the plunger projection, in which position it is arrestedby the stop lug 59.

The spool may be released from the holder by the action of a key 92,shown in Fig. 6, which is adapted to be inserted through an opening 93in the casing cover and engages a post which extends upwardly from thecasing bottom through a short arcuate slot in the pawl, to guide the keybit 95 in position to engage an upstanding lug 96 formed on the heel endof the actuating arm of the pawl 52, as best shown in Fig. 2. A guidestud 97 is arranged in the swinging path of movement of the key bit and.the bit is provided with a notch which passes over said stud. In thisway the stud 97 and the corresponding notch of the key bit may bevariously arranged so that each key will actuate only the releasingmechanism adapted thereto. In order to adapt the releasing mechanism tospools having cores of different diameters the disk 72 which carries thelug 71 to actuate the pawl is adapted to be angularly adjusted. on thesleeve 73, so as to provide for a greater or less range of movement ofsaid lug and the tripping lever, as desired. The said rocking member ordisk is locked in adjusted position by the clamping nut 81, beforedescribed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a spool holderand locking device therefor so arranged that after the spool has beenlocked in position thereon itis impossible to release the same until thethread has been used from the spool, ex cept by a person authorized touse the unlocking key 92. This unlocking key will usually be in thecustody of the foreman of a shop so that individual workmen will nothave access thereto.

The loss of thread by unauthorized removal of spools from sewingmachines is the occasion of great loss in tailoring estabhshments wherea large number of machines are used, and a device to prevent theunauthorized removal of thread from the machines by operators is avaluable adjunct to the sewing machines used in a tailoring or likeestablishment. The device described effectually prevents unauthorizedremoval of spools from their holders and at the same time enables thespools to be readily applied to the holder and to be locked thereon, andalso provides ready means of removing a partially used spool of threadwhen occasion requires.

I claim as my invention 1. A spool holder and locking device comprisingspool supporting means, locking means and lock releasing means and meanswhereby said locking releasing means are controlled by the presence orabsence of thread on the spool.

2. A spool holder and locking device comprising spool supporting means,locking means co-acting therewith and lock releasing means comprising amember movable toward and from the core of the spool, and cooperatingmeans to release the spool operable only when the said member contactswith the bared core of the spool.

3. A spool holder and locking device com prising spool supports, alocking pawl acting on one of said supports to lock the spool in place,manual means to release the locking pawl and means limited by thepresence of thread on the spool for controlling said releasing means.

4t. A spool holder and locking device comprising spring held spoolretaining means, with locking means therefor, and releasing means actingagainst said locking means to release the spool only when the thread hasbeen unwound therefrom.

A spool holder and locking device comprising spring held spool retainingmeans, with locking means therefor, releasing means acting against saidlocking means to release the spool only when the thread has been unwoundtherefrom, and a key for also releasing said locking means.

6 A spool holder and locking device com prising a spool supporting andretaining means, and releasing means acting on the &

retaining means comprising a lever movable toward and from the spool andadapted to engage the spool.

7. A spool holder and locking device comprising spool supporting means,a spring held pawl acting thereon to lock the supporting means in placeto retain a spool thereon, and a manual member movable toward and fromthe spool and adapted to be limited by the filled spool for releasingthe pawl from the supporting means to thereby release the spool.

8. A spool holder'and locking device comprising a spring actuatedplunger to support the spool, a pivoted spring held pawl having a partacting on the plunger to normally hold the latter in its spool lockingposition, and a manual member acting on said pawl against the actionof'its spring to release said support, said member being movable towardand from the spool and operable to release the support only when itengages the bared spool core.

9. A spool holder and locking device comprising an endwise movablesupport to engage the bore of the spool, with spring means tending torelease the support from the spool, a projection on said support, and apawl overlying said projection to hold the support in its lockingposition, and means for swinging the pawl away from said projection torelease said support embracing a lever swingable toward and from thespool and controlled by the absence of thread on the spool, for thepurpose set forth.

10. A spool holder and locking device comprising an endwise movablesupport to engage the bore of the spool, with spring means tending torelease the support from the spool, a projection on said support, a pawloverlying said projection to hold the support in locking position, aspring to normally hold the pawl on its locking position, co-ac'tingmeans on the projection and pawl to prevent retraction of the pawl underthe action of its spring when the support is released, and means actingon said pawl to release it from its projection embracing a manuallyoperable lever swingable toward and from the spool.

11.. A spool holder and locking device comprising a spring releasingsupport to engage the bore of the spool, a pivoted pawl having an armacting on the support to hold the support in its locking position andprovided with an actuating arm, a rocking member having a lug to engagesaid actuating arm to swing said pawl to its releasing position and alever movable with said rocking member and swingable toward and from thespool on said support.

12. A spool holder and locking device comprising a base having anupstanding lug thereon to engage the lower end of the bore of the spool,an endwise movable, alined member to engage the upper end of said bore,with locking means for said member, and means for releasing said lockingmeans, controlled by the presence of thread on said spool.

13. A spool holder and locking device comprising a base having anupstanding lug thereon to engage the lower end of the bore of the spool,an endwise movable, alined member to engage the upper end of the bore ofthe spool, with locking means for said member, and a lock release leverswingable toward and from and adapted for engagement with the core ofthe spool only when the thread is exhausted or practically exhaustedtherefrom.

let, A spool holder and locking device comprising a base having anupstanding lug thereon to engage the lower end of the bore of the spool,an endwise movable, alined member to engage the upper end of said bore,an inclosing casing through which said endwise movable member extends,locking means in said casing engaging said member, and lock releasemeans embracing a lever separate from said endwise movable memberextending from said casing and morable toward and from a spool supportedon the device.

15. A spool holder and locking device comprising a'rotative base, a postrising therefrom, a casing carried by said post, spool holders carriedby the base and easing with means in the casing to separately lock eachspool on its holder, means to relcasably lock the device from rotationwhereby any one of a plurality of spools supported thereby may bepresented toward the work, and means controlled by the presence orabsence of thread on the spool to independently release each spoollocking means.

16. A spool holder and locking device comprising a rotative base, a postrising therefrom, a casing carried by the post, spool holders carried bythe base and easing with means in the casing to separately lock thespools on said holders, means to releasably lock the device fromrotation, whereby any one of a plurality of spools supported thereby maybe presented toward the work and means to independently release eachspool locking means, embracing a lock release member movable toward andfrom the spool and so arranged that the movement thereof toward thespool to release the lock is limited by the presence of thread on saidspool.

17. A spool holder and locking device comprising spool supporting means,locking means, lock release means controlled by the presence or absenceof thread on the spool and means for adjusting the lock release means tospools of different diameters.

18. A spool holder and locking device comprising a spool support,locking means llO acting thereon to lock the spools on said support,releasing means to release the looking means embracing a lever swingabletoward and from the spool and adjusting means between the lever andreleasing means to adapt the releasing means to spools of differentdiameters.

19. A spool holder and locking device comprising a spool support, alocking pawl acting thereon to hold the support in its spool lockingposition, a lever swingable toward and from the spool, a rocking memberactuated by said pawl having a part to act on said awl to swing it tounlocking position and means to angularly adjust said rocking member forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of September,A. D. 1913.

HENRY GOLDBERGER. Witnesses:

W. L. HALL, G. E. DOWLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Patents,

Washington, D. O.

